


late night identity crisis

by thisprentiss



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Coming Out, Gay Character, Ninjago Pride Week 2019, wig ok im really out here writing ninjago fic huh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 09:29:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19354222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisprentiss/pseuds/thisprentiss
Summary: jay tries to present his "zane isn't human" theory to kai and cole and gets roasted (and then realizes he might not be straight)





	late night identity crisis

**Author's Note:**

> lkjgljdflkjf this is so hastily written and its already an hour-ish late for the first day of ninjago pride week (day 1 prompt: questioning) but here it is!! 
> 
> so it's set before they find out zane is a robot (just thot i'd say that to make sure it was clear)

"Aw, shit!"

"Ah dammit, no!"

A chorus of similar profanities flooded from the common area as the video game displayed the 'defeated' screen and they were taken back to the title card. While the others complained, Zane just smiled and stood, bowing his head and placing his controller on the coffee table.

"I believe that will be my last round for the night. I'll be retiring now," he walked around the back of the couch and headed for the door, offering a wave and saying, "Good night! Please get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight."

"Okay, night Zane!"

"See ya!"

"Sleep tight!"

He smiled again and slid the door shut behind him. "You guys down for another round?" Cole asked, and when he got a unanimous 'hell yes' from the other two, he scrolled to their last saved checkpoint and clicked it, waiting for the game to load again as he reached in the bag on the table for a handful of chips.

"Okay, wait, pause it," Jay said just when the level popped up. Cole rolled his eyes, but paused it anyway.

"Yeah?"

Jay turned in his seat so his back leaned against the armrest, and he narrowed his eyes. "I've been thinking about this, okay? Just hear me out," he lowered his voice secretively, and Kai was already done with whatever he was about to say, "I don't think Zane is human."

Both of the others groaned, and Cole tried to turn the game back on.

"Wait, hey, wait, wait, listen!" Jay hollered, smacking the controller out of Cole's hand.

"Dude, it's just mean at this point. Can we just leave him alone?" Kai sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. But Jay wouldn't relent.

"No, no, it's not mean this time!" he pleaded, waving his hands around. Cole and Kai obliged, turning to look at him with incredulous looks on their faces. " _Thank you_. Okay. So here's the thing. We know he's a little socially inept, but that's a totally human thing, right? Like it's easily explained away." Jay looked over both shoulders and leaned forward with a hand next to his mouth, voice lowered to a whisper. "But have you guys ever noticed how  _good looking_ he is!?"

Cole couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud. Kai just rolled his eyes. "You're telling me you think Zane is an alien or something... because he's hot."

"Hey-  _hey!_ Quit laughing!" Jay kicked Cole in the arm, but it did nothing to make him stop. "I'm serious! He's not just hot, he's  _beautiful!_  Like- like-  _listen!_ He's so symmetrical! Like his face is! And like his skin is always so  _smooth_ , and like- perfect and stuff! Everything about him is perfect! I mean his whole physique, his face, his eyes are like...  _glowy_ , it's the weirdest thing ever!"

"Jay, I gotta be honest with you, buddy. I think you might just be crushing on him," Kai snorted, patting his arm over Cole, who was grinning like an idiot, obviously entertained. Jay looked absolutely floored, brow knit together and eyes on fire.

"That's not cool, you know that's not what I meant!" he snapped, "I don't  _like_ dudes like that, I'm not..." he glared and whispered again, " _Gay..._ "

Cole snorted, but suddenly had a wary look in his eyes. "You don't gotta say it like it's a swear word, dude."

"No, no!" Jay looked horrified, "I didn't mean it was like- a  _bad_ thing, I just meant  _I'm_  not gay. I just think- I mean you guys see it too, right!? Zane's  _crazy_ good looking!"

Once again looking relaxed, Cole shrugged. "Well I mean I  _am_ gay, but he's just...  _kinda_ cute, y'know? Not my type, I guess."

"You're gay?" Kai asked, and there was, once again, a flash of uncertainty in Cole's eyes as he nodded. But Kai grinned and held out his hand for a fist bump. "I'm bi."

Cole smiled wide, tapping Kai's fist with his own. "Hell yeah, bro!"

"And with that in  _mind..._ " Kai mock-sadly shook his head at Jay, "Zane's cute, I guess. But I don't think his eyes are-" he snorted and laughed, "What,  _glowing!?_ "

"They  _are!_ " Jay cried, face getting redder by the second as the other two laughed at him. "Guys, shut  _up,_ it's not funny!"

It just made Kai and Cole laugh harder. But they quickly realized it wasn't as light hearted as they thought it was, because Jay stood up and threw his controller on the couch, storming away to the door. Both scrambled to their feet, Cole vaulting over the couch to stop Jay from leaving.

"Jay, wait, we weren't-"

"Okay,  _fuck_ you guys, seriously!" Jay snapped, yanking the door open and stomping down the hall. Kai and Cole watched him go, hearts sinking into their stomachs. Cole sighed and ran a hand through his hair, leaning against the door frame.

"Shit."

Kai nodded in agreement. "Shit," he dragged a hand down his face, "Should we give him time to cool off, or..."

Cole pursed his lips, then nodded. "Yeah," he paused for a minute, then tilted his head back, closing his eyes, " _Shit._ "

"I'm gonna text Nya and see if she's still awake, maybe she can talk to him," Kai said, heading back to the couch to grab his phone and shoot a text to his sister.

_u up queen_

_[big bitch supreme] ya what's up_

Kai scratched his head, letting out a sigh. "What should I tell her? Just that Jay's like... upset?"

"I don't know, maybe say like... Jay needs to talk? Something like that," Cole shrugged. Kai licked his lips and went back to his phone.

 _okay so funny story, me and cole were kind of mean_   _to jay and now hes just kind of off somewhere on the ship_

The bubble popped up, disappeared, then popped up again, then finally Nya's message came in.

_[big bitch supreme] scale of 1-10 how mean were u_

Kai sighed again.

_pwease talk to him :(_

_[big bitch supreme] ok where is he_

_im not sure but zane's asleep so probably not in the_ _room? or maybe he is, idk_

_[big bitch supreme] helpful_

_[big bitch supreme] ill find him and do damage control_

_love u !_

_[big bitch supreme] aight miss fritz_

Kai slipped his phone into the pocket of his sweatshirt, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. "Okay, Nya's gonna talk to him."

"Great," Cole said, shoulders dropping in relief. The two sat back down on the couch, but didn't start the game. They just sat there in silence for a few minutes, until Cole finally pursed his lips and glanced over at Kai. "So like... do you think he's gay, or..."

"I don't know, I can't get a read. I know he likes Nya, but-"

"I mean, could be performative."

Kai nodded. "Yeah."

Another long moment of silence, then Cole shrugged. "He could be bi?"

"True."

"Okay, this is none of our business, never mind," Cole leaned forward and grabbed his controller, starting up the game without asking Kai. Naturally, he picked his up too.

Anything to get his mind off everything that just happened.

 

* * *

 

Nya found Jay sitting outside in the dark, elbows resting on his knees with his hands propping up his head.

She slowly approached him, tugging her sweatshirt tighter around her and wishing she'd been wearing pajama pants instead of shorts when she came out here.

"Hey," she greeted, stopping in front of him and leaning on the wall of the ship. Jay smiled at her, but it wasn't sincere. She tried again, "What're you doing out here?"

He shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. What about you?"

Nya thought about coming up with a clever lie, but she decided against it, hopping up and sitting on a barrel that was behind her. "Kai texted me and said him and Cole were being total dick-wads to you. Wanted me to do damage control." When that didn't get a response, she gave a fake chuckle, "Total pussy move if you ask me. But he knew I'd do it, 'cause I care about you!"

"You don't have to be out here, Nya," Jay smiled, then he sighed, "They were just like... totally twisting my words and stuff, and said I was gay, and it was just... it was pissing me off. And stressing me out."

"What the- what do you mean they said you were gay?" she almost laughed, but knew that wouldn't be taken well. Jay let his head drop into his hands, fingers raking through his hair.

"I was just telling them a stupid theory on why Zane's an alien, and they just started riffing off each other and making it sound like I was gay, it was- it was stupid. I'm not gay, don't worry."

Nya  _did_ snort at that. "Why would I be worried?"

Jay deflated again. "Nothing. You wouldn't be. Sorry, it's just- I'm just really- I'm like  _frustrated_."

"No, I hear you," Nya gave him a sympathetic look, "If there's anything you wanna talk about, I'm here for you, okay?"

"Thanks, Nya," Jay smiled at her again, but then shook his head softly. "I'm fine. I mean- I appreciate it, I just- I don't want to talk about it with you- right now. Not that- I really appreciate you being here, I just-"

"Jay," she held up a hand to stop him, "It's okay. I just wanted to let you know I'm here for you. You don't have to talk."

"I think... I just wanna go to sleep."

Nya nodded in understanding, hopping off the barrel and holding out her arms. "Me too. Hug?"

"Yeah," his voice cracked a little as he stood to let Nya pull him into a tight hug. He buried his face in her shoulder and sighed, feeling the tiniest bit of comfort with Nya there. At least  _someone_ wasn't acting like a huge asshole tonight. When they broke apart, Nya clapped him on the shoulder and smiled, then headed off back to her room wordlessly.

Jay stood out there for another minute, pondering whether to head back to the room or to stay out here. It was already late, but if he went back to the room now there was the chance Cole and Kai would still be awake and would try to talk to him, or worse,  _apologize_ before he could escape to sleep.

Before he could make any decisions, though,

"Dishonesty to one's own self is just as bad as dishonesty to those around you."

Jay jumped and yelped, then turned to find Wu pouring himself a cup of tea behind him. He couldn't stop himself from glaring. "Okay, Master Wu, this really isn't the time for-"

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Wu cut him off, holding out a cup with an expectant look on his face. Rolling his eyes and heaving a sigh, Jay relented and climbed the three steps to the raised deck, sitting down across from Wu and taking the tea cup. "Half cup or full?"

"Half."

"Are you sure? It is a cold night."

"Fine. Full."

Wu smiled and filled Jay's cup with steaming, fruity smelling tea. They sat in silence for what felt like several minutes, listening to the sounds of the wind rolling past them, and the distant ocean below. Then, finally, Wu took a sip of his tea and looked up at the cloudy sky.

"You've been troubled by something, hm?" it sounded more like a statement than a question. Jay rolled his eyes and sipped the tea.

"Yeah, I have.  _Two_ somethings. And their names are Kai and Cole."

"Are you completely certain  _they_ are what troubles you?"

"Um,  _yes_ I'm sure-"

"Or could it be...  _you_."

Jay looked up from his tea with a half-sneer, half-glare on his face. "No, I know it's not me. They were just-"

"Implying something completely harmless in nature which you took too deeply to heart for reasons you don't wish to confront," Wu nodded and sipped his tea again, beard blowing obnoxiously in the breeze. Jay blanched, feeling his words get stuck in his throat. He stammered out nonsense for a few seconds, then fell silent. Wu opened his eyes and they pierced right into Jay's soul. "Perhaps it is not Kai and Cole who you are angry with, but rather yourself."

Still, Jay didn't know what to say. He just stared into his tea, uncomfortably shifting. "Okay, can I- can I like... talk to you about something? You just- just promise not to tell anybody. I mean- just- like assuming you already know what they- what was pissing me off."

Wu nodded once.

Jay swirled the rapidly cooling tea in his cup and chewed at the inside of his cheek. "The whole thing bothered me 'cause- so I was just trying to make an observation about how Zane-" he cut himself off, shaking his head, "That's beside the point, the point is, I just- ugh. You're right. You're always right." Jay squeezed the bridge of his nose tight, eyes clenched shut, "I'm mad at myself. I didn't want to think about- about like- that maybe I was making up excuses to stare at Zane, like there's nothing extraordinary about him, I just- I just think he's good looking."

Stopping for a moment, Jay felt his grip tighten on the cup just like his chest was tightening. "I... I  _do_ think he's good looking. And I just- I don't- that doesn't mean I'm  _gay_ , right?" he paused again, staring into the tea like it had the answers, "I mean- I like Nya. Like I  _like_ like her. But- I mean I'm thinking about it now, and like-  _shit,_ I get the same way around Zane, I feel like- like I need to impress him all the time, and-"

Wu poured himself another cup of tea.

"But I feel like that with  _everybody_ , so it's not just Zane, and I don't wanna date him, but-" Jay groaned, "But he's literally so  _gorgeous!_  I mean-" he stopped suddenly, eyes narrowing at Wu. "You haven't said much."

"Why would I? You seem to be working it out yourself," Wu chuckled, then gestured at the tea cup. "Tea's getting cold."

"Right, my bad," Jay downed the now-cold tea and handed the cup back to Wu, who refilled it and handed it back. "Sensei, I think I might be..." he lowered his voice, " _Bisexual._ "

There was a long pause, and then Wu smiled. "Oftentimes, it is easiest to lie to yourself. Finding the truth is all the more difficult when you are the one hiding it. But that means finding it is all the more _relieving_ when you do."

"I hate how wise that was, man. Can you just give me some moral support instead of being all weird about it?" Jay side-eyed Wu for a moment.

"Of course. Jay, none on this ship will pass judgement on you for finding your true self. You are the master of lightning and their friend no matter who you  _like_ ," Wu stood, taking Jay's once again empty tea cup and stacking it with his own. "I will wake you up for sunrise exercises."

Jay watched Wu leave, feeling too shell shocked to say anything.

 

* * *

 

After sunrise exercises, the four ninja loaded into the kitchen to grab breakfast. Zane gave suspicious looks at the sugary cereal and granola bars the others chose as he started to whip up a healthy omelet, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he cleared his throat and gave the others a polite smile.

"Jay, you've been awfully quiet this morning!" he observed, stirring his eggs. Everyone seemed to tense up and start looking around the room awkwardly. Zane froze, fork idling in the bowl. "Did I say something wrong? I apologize."

"No, Zane, you're perfect," no one missed the way Jay's eyes flicked over to Kai and Cole while he seemed to struggle with what to say next. "Okay, guys, so- not you, Zane, just Kai and Cole. Guys, I'm sorry I was... like pissed at you last night."

Both Kai and Cole jumped to try and apologize first.

"No,  _we're_ sorry!"

"We were total dicks, dude, you don't have to apologize!"

Zane looked between the three of them in sheer confusion. "I'm clearly missing something."

"Just a second, Zane, sorry," Kai held up a finger and lunged across the table to slap Jay on the shoulder, "Dude, seriously, we felt like  _shit_ last night over that whole thing."

"It was so not cool. Like... we of all people should know it's not cool." Cole received a glare from Kai, and he yelled out loud, startling Zane and Jay, "No, I mean- not that you're- ah,  _shit!_ "

"No, no, it's-" Jay waved his hands around, "I mean, yeah I was mad, but- okay, so I did like... a  _lot_ of thinking last night, and I think- I think I might be bi. So I just- yeah."

Cole and Kai looked at each other, then back at Jay, smiling awkwardly.

"Dude, that's awesome," Cole said, "Sorry we like... forced you out of the closet. That wasn't cool."

"No, it's- I mean yeah, that wasn't cool. But- but I mean it's- I was mad 'cause it's something I've always had this like- inner fight going on about, and- yeah. You get it."

"Well, I for one am happy for you, Jay!" Zane smiled from the stove, flipping his omelet flawlessly. "It's an honor to have you as a member of the community."

Cole grinned, leaning back in his chair. "You too, dude?"

Zane nodded sagely, bringing his plate over to the table. He didn't elaborate.

"Huh, that's four for four ninja," Cole observed, then pointed at Kai, "What about Nya? How's she swing?"

"Ask her, bro," Kai kicked his feet up on the table as he bit into his granola bar. But then his eyes went wide, "Forget Nya, I wonder if  _Wu's_ gay!"

"Oh  _bet!_ "

Jay dipped his spoon into his cereal, glad the conversation was turning away from him. And feeling like he'd just gotten a weight off his shoulders that he didn't even know he'd been carrying.

**Author's Note:**

> jay finding out zane literally isnt human: oh my god..........


End file.
